Balloon-inflating push toy



' April 28, 1953 J. J. MORSCH 2,636,315 BALLOON INFLATING PUSH TOY FiledDec. 13, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 7 '3 .55 7 3r :2 1 3; a 7 32 56 I 30 5/ L29 J QLI- m 3nventor Jesss J M0R5cH attorney April 28, 1953 J. .1.MORSCH 2,636,315

BALLOON INFLATING PUSH TOY Filed use] 13, 1951 zswsEws -snsm 2 3nventor1/5555 J MORSCH Gttomeg Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE BALLDON-INFLATING rush TOY Jesse J .'Morsch, Douglas, Wyo.Application December 13,1951, Serial No. 261,453

2 Claims. (01. ilk-88 This invention relatesto a child's push toy oi''vel'iicleg and has forits principal. object thc provision oifla toyvehicle which, when pushed along the floor, will act to compress air toindate aballoon mounted on the toy for annlsement and educationalpurposes. Another object of the invention is to provide a toy vehiclewith traction-actuated, ballooninflating means, and to utilize theballoon asa compressed air reservoir for the purpose of blowing whistlesand actuating other air-operated devices to enhance the child's interestin the toy.

A further object is to provide means for easily and instantly releasinganinfiated balloon from a toy to allow the balloon to fly into the airwith'a Jet-like action.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction or theinvention, whichls designed for simplicity, economy. and emcie'ncy.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereot. Like, numoralsrefer to like parts in all views or the drawing and throughout thedescription.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved ohilds push toy; Fig. 2 is anenlarged hicle, portion of the toy.;' v

Fig.3 is a'front end view of the toy on the same scale "as Fig. 1;

Fig.1; is an enlarged, .icngitudinalsection through the .vehicleportion; taken 1 on theline 4 --4,Fig. 3;

Fig. ilsjafragmentary. vertical, detailsectlon through a balloon clampinand-releasing device employed on the toys V Fig. 6 is a similarfragmentary, detail section through an-air pump employed on the toy; and

Fig. 7 is anenlarged, detail section of a hoseclosing valve employed inthe improved toy, taken on the line 'l--1, Fig. 2.

The improved toy consists of an open-bottomed, sheet metal pan illhaving a top stiiTening plate I l secured over its top by means ofsuitable screws I 2. Two aligned, axle sleeve bearings i 3 are solderedor otherwise secured to the lower .'side edges of the pan adjacent, theforward extremity thereof. The bearings 13 rotatably support a wheelaxle l 4 having a medial ofiset crank portion 15.

A traction wheel [6 is mounted on each extremity of the axle 14. Atleast one of the wheels bottom view or mere i5 is fixedly secured to theaxle M to rotate the latter as the toy is pushed along the floor. A rearfollower wheel 11 is mounted in a wheel bracket 18 which supports therear-extremity of the pan.

A handle socket member 19 projects rear wardly and upwardly from the panIll-to receive and support a handle 20. by means of which the toy ispushed or pulled. W

A pump hinge shaft 2! extends across the lower portion of the pan 10adjacent the rear extremity thereof. upon which a pinup-supportingsleeve 22 is mounted. The sleeve 22 is secured to and supports an airpump cylinder 23 in which a pump piston 24 is reciprocated by means of apiston rod 25. The piston rod- 25 terminates in a crank bearing memberZi rotatahly mounted on the crank portion I5 of the axle I4. It can bercadilyseen that rotation of. the axle M will cause the piston 24 topump air from the pump cylinder 23c The air discharges from the cylinder23 through a suitable non-return. check valve 2! into a flexiblepressure hose 2S terminating in a T-fitl;ing 29 A flexibleballoondnflating hose 3| and a similar flexible whistle hose 30 leadfrom the T-fitting 29.

The whistle hose Sllleads through a valve yoke 32 to the stem of an airwhistle 33; mounted on and projecting upwardly from the top plate i i.The valve yoke 32 is U-shaped and'is secured-at its extremities-to theend wall of the pan ill. A plunger head as is movably mounted in slotsin the legs of theyoke and is guided by thelatter to and from the hose30.- The head 34 is mountedon the extremity of a plunger stem 35 whichslides inatubular guide sleeve Etiormed on the yoke. A1 spring 31, Jwhich surrounds the stem 35 "and is compressed between the head 334 onthe plunger and the extremity of the sleeve .36; constantly urges thehead against the hose 30 to contact and close ofi the latter.

The balloon-inflating hose 3! leads to and connects with a riser pipe 38which is mounted in and extends upwardly from the top plate II. Anencircling groove 39 is formed in the riser pipe adjacent its upperextremity to receive the conventional neck head of a rubber balloon 40when the stem or neck of the latter is forced over the upper extremityof the riser pipe 38. The neck head is locked in the groove 39 by meansof .an internally tapered collet sleeve 4!, the internally taperedextremity of which is constantly urged upwardly over the head of theballoon 40 by means of a compression spring 42 which encircles the g 3pipe 38 and is compressed between the collet sleeve and the top plate Il.

A vertical guide rod 43 is mounted on the top plate ll adjacent the pipe38. and serves as a guide for a sliding sleeve 44 from which a bifurcated yoke arm 45 extends to partially encircle the collet sleeve 4| andbear against a terminal flange 46 formed on the latter.

The yoke arm 45 can be drawn downwardly to compress the spring 42 bymeans of a' connecting cord 41 which extends into the pan I andterminates in one arm 48 of a bell-crank lever mounted on a rotatablelever shaft 49. The other arm 50 of the bell-crank lever extendsdownwardly from the shaft 49. A balloon-releasing cordl1 extends fromthe arm 50 rearwardly througha guide tube 52 and upwardly along thehandle 26. A whistle cord 53 extends from the valve plunger rod 35rearwardly through a second guide tube '54 and upwardly along the handle20. V

, The twocords 5| and 53 terminate in pull rods .55 which are slidablymounted'in guide tubes 56 which are secured to the handle 20 adjacentthe upper extremity of the latter by means ofsuitable bracket-straps'51. Each pull rod 55 terminates in a finger button 58 which isconstantly urged away from the adjacent tube 56 by means of a relativelylight compression spring 59. The I springs 59 are only of sufficientstrength to remove any slackness from the cords 5i and 53.

A balloon-supporting ring 60 is adjustably mounted in a clamping fitting6i on the guide rod 43 to support the balloon in a vertical position.The supporting ring is particularly valuable for supporting theexceedingly long inflatable balloons atpresent on the market. It may beadjusted to any desired height in the fitting 6| to fit theiparticularballoon being used. 7

Let us assume that a balloon is 1n place on the pipe 38 and islockedthereon by means of the collet-sleeve 4|. The child now pushes thetoy along the floor, causing the crank axle to actuate the pump andinflate the balloon to any desired degree. with the whistle cord 53 bedrawn rearwardly, the plunger 34 will be withdrawn from the hose 3 l andthe air under the pressure of the balloon will flow 'to the whistle toproduce a loud whistling sound. 'If the finger button 58 connected withthe balloon-releasing cord 5! be drawn upon, the collet sleeve 4! willbe drawn downwardly to release the neck head of the'balloon to allow itto fly into the air under the jet action of the air escaping therefrom.I

The extremity of the riser pipe above the groove 39 is reduced indiameter tofacilitate'gripping and releasing the balloon.

If the finger button 58 connected While a specific form of theimprovement has wheels "being aifixed tosaid-axle; a pump cylinderreciprocally mounted in said frame; a pump plunger extending from saidcylinder and connected to said crank axle so that rotation of said axlewill actuate said plunger in said cylinder to pump air; an expansiblereservoir supported from said frame in communication with said pumpcylinder'for storing the air pumped therefrom; a standpipe supported bysaid frame and communicating with said expansible reservoir to supportand inflate the latter; releasable means securing said reservoir to saidpipe so .that the reservoir may be released to allow air to escapetherefrom; a handle extending rearwardly and upwardly from said framefor pushing the latter; a hand-actuated membermounted on said handle;and means extendingirom said latter member to said releasable means foractuating the latter. p I

. 2. A childs pull toy comprising: asu'pporting frame; a crank axlesupporting said frame; supporting wheels mounted on said axle, one ofsaid wheels beingaffixed to said axle; a pump cylinder reciprocallymounted in said frame; a pump plunger extending from said cylinder andcon;- nected to saidcrank axle so that rotation of said axle willactuate saidplunger in said cylinder to pump air; an expansiblereservoir supported from said frame in communication with said pump 1cylinder for'storing the air pumped therefrom;

an air-actuated whistle supported by said frame; a-conduitcommunicatingbetween said whistle and said expansible reservoir; valve means forcontrolling 'the flow of air through said conduit; a handle extendingrearwardly and upwardly from said frame for pushing the latter; ahandactuated' member on said handle; means extending from said lattermember to said releasable means for actuating the latter; a secondmanually actuated member on said handle; and means extending from saidsecond member to said valve for opening the latter to actuate saidwhistle.

' JESSE J MORSCIL.

References Cited in the file of this ma UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName. Date 439,064 Hanley" Oct. 21, 1890 488,071

